Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys

Some Will Not Die Reviews

• 
  Tim

  Hmm... what to say? First, a general comment. Algis Budrys was once considered an expert on novel writing. He still should be and reading his work has a LOT to offer the would-be novelist. Not only is it an entertaining read, it has a lot to be learned from the way it is written and executed. That the name Algis Budrys seems to be nearly forgotten is a shame.
  
  As for this particular book. In general there isn't much more that I can add that others who like it haven't already said. It has a unique take on a post-apocalyptic future and after all the zombie-movies and other dystopian works produced in droves today, a refreshing one at that.
  
  One thing I will say is that I don't know what Budrys political leanings were and I don't care. All too often I hear people ragging on past writers for that reason and it gets framed, not in the time of the writer, but in today's polarized views. I think for the myopic, there is room to get upset with Budrys - from left or right. he gives different characters different leanings, and most none or neutral. In the end, he doesn't make any sermons or judgments, except maybe that men have to live their lives in accordance with their (and society's) current state. And that state changes, often faster than people notice. Maybe those are good words for any time including now.
• 
  Sharon Barrow Wilfong

  I read this book to my husband as we were traveling from Virginia Beach to Washington D.C. I think if I was not reading this to Josh I would have given up on it. However, I am glad I finished it because the story was not without merit. I will briefly describe the plot, what I liked and what I didn't like.
  
  A plague has hit America and the country is plunged into a culture of barbarism. Everyone is out for themselves, pillaging and looting and killing or being killed.
  
  In New York City, Matthew Garvin is one man who struggles to survive, even killing his best friend (which is understandable because his friend wanted to eat him). He stumbles across a woman who is trying to steal medicine out of an abandoned pharmacy for her father. Garvin and the girl team up, cover each other for snipers on the roofs of buildings.
  
  They finally reach the apartment but the father dies anyway. Garvin lives with the young woman and together they manage to scrape out a living.
  
  One day, the encounter their neighbors and risk getting to know them. They team up and with the leadership of his neighbor, Gustav Berendsten, they eventually unite with all the tenants of their building. This leads ultimately to uniting with other apartments, which inevitably leads to turf and power wars. Berendsten wants to unite all people and he ruthlessly attempts it after building a powerful army which fights other factions.
  
  The story jumps back and forth between prologues which are in the future and the past. Each new section takes place with a different generation. We see that America develops from tribal warfare, to gentry that fights with other towns to people eventually learning to live civilly with each other.
  
  I liked how Budrys kept the story growing and not stagnate. We see multiple generations and how they differ from their forefathers. Budrys writes convincing, powerful characters that are worth reading about.
  
  I did not like the detailed information about war strategy. It was just too mundane for me. However, Josh did like that so hopefully I provided everyone with enough information to decided whether this book is for them.
• 
  Beth

  Another entry in my mid-century post-apocalypse obsession. This one was published in 1961 and based on a previously unpublished book written in the mid-'50s. (The copy I read was an actual 1961 copy, and it was kind of cool to know that this particular book was a year older than me! Also in about the same shape as me.)
  
  This was a really solid book in the genre. While it didn't have the emotional impact on me that so many of these books do, it was an interesting study in both the psychology and sociology of surviving an apocalypse—which in this case, was some form of unspecified plague that killed 90% of the earth's population. We learn nothing about the plague days, with everything in the book taking place after it has come and gone.
  
  The book has the usual "women are minor characters who are good for nothing but making dinner" mentality, and although I know it's coming in these books, I still find it jarring. War is made, rival factions spring up, strange ideas about Integrity (with a capital I) take hold among some, but humanity finds a way to survive and thrive and even find some love along the way.
  
  This was also an exceptionally well-written book, with a nice flow and evocative imagery that made me picture the deserted streets of New York City as well as the wide open prairie.
  
  I'm glad I was able to hunt this one down (it wasn't an easy find) because it was good enough to make me stay up until 4 AM to finish it!
• 
  James

  I was surprised and disappointed that this didn't engage me more, as I remember the few other Budrys novels that I've read as being quite powerful. But Some Will Not Die seemed to meander and drag. There were a few interesting bits at the beginning and the end, but I could not get into the bulk of it.
  
  There isn't much of a plot really, but just an outline of the process of plague survivors reuniting the scraps of civilization. It seemed to me that Budrys just tacked on the characters and the family dramas in a hasty and sloppy attempt to humanize what is essentially more of an abstract treatise than a novel. He didn't find a good way to merge the more theoretical aspects of what he was trying to convey with an engaging story.
  
  This is also a good example of vintage sci-fi that really shows its age. It felt quite dated for a variety of reasons, particularly in its treatment of the women, who are relegated more or less to the role of a natural resource that the men compete for. It's true that there are a few lines tossed off here and there suggesting what the women themselves want is important, but since that generally aligns with what their men want, they're of no consequence to the story.
  
  Unfortunately this is not a Budrys title I'll be planning to read again, nor would I recommend to anyone else, unless you're just particular about reading every post-apocalyptic novel you can get your hands on.
• 
  Bobby Jones

  But a whole lot will.
• 
  Joachim Boaz

  Full review:
  https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
  
  "My love/hate relationship with Algis Budrys continues!
  
  Some Will Not Die (1961, rev. 1978) is a multi-generational future history post-apocalyptic thriller. A plague wipes out the vast majority of humankind, and the remnants coalesce around the figure of Mathew Garvin. Years later after his death Garvin takes on heroic adjectives by those seeking to replicate the stability he brought (through violence and perseverance) to New York City. The novel follows the evolution of society [...]"
  
• 
  Oscar Maquito

  *3.5/5
• 
  Jeff Turney

  Good no nonsense style. Maybe not as cohesive as I might have liked... Jumped around a bit but all and all a pretty good read.
• 
  χθόνιος

  So believable and so real.
  
  In a post-plague world, there are persons with ideals, looking to the future and there are persons with very immediate concerns - the two rarely overlap. It is a world of 'might is right', but what is right?
  
  Many themes are present, even if not always evident Budrys knew what he wanted to say about them (or I might be too dense to grasp his intentions). A sort of ever-shifting Utilitarianism makes an appearance, by numerous parties; a name might be able to unite people; the US constitution's 2nd amendment, in the hands of the always all-too-easily lead sheep, is ridiculed; (re)unification is untenable, made so by short-sightedness and xenophobia; personal honour is the catalyst for violence, all this amid very compelling stories of survival.
  
  It is a world in which the notion of family is constantly redefined, a world where good, or bad, people do good, or bad, things with good, or bad, intentions in mind. Morals and (means of) survival are in constant flux and the question of who is ultimately right is never answered adequately because, you know,... humans. Perhaps this is what the author intended .
• 
  Laura

  personal note- UB
• 
  Jason Emo

  It seemed a little boring for a zombie novel.
• 
  Ike

  One word = partial